History of the Student Voice & Student Rights

An Illustration of the

Development of the Student Voice

and Student Rights from the 1950s

to the 1970s:

Physically, Mentally, and

MorallyMeghan

Campbell

May 6, 2013

Purpose

To determine the relationship between the decline in the philosophy of ‚in loco parentis‛ and the evolution of the

student voice and student rights in higher education.

Literature Review

• Limited amount of research- has not been explicitly stated in

history

• Students advocated for themselves

• The influences of the of society including morals, movements,

events, and legislation

Sources Used:

•Salem State University ‘s Handbooks and Codes of Conduct from

1949-1980

•Newspaper Articles from New York Times & Wall Street Journal

• Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz’s Campus Life

The 1950s

The Student Role

• Begin to negotiate grades

• Diverse student population dissatisfaction growing

• Questioning higher education system

The Institutional Role

•Strict Attendance Policies

•Automatically a member of Men’s/ Women’s Athletic

Associations

• Students expected to work towards greater good-

Salem

Society’s Role

•Number of students increase after WWII

The 1960sThe Student Role

• Faculty/Graduate Student Role

• Challenge vs Conform

• Rebel against authority- music, clothing, drugs,

demonstrations


•Dress Code

• Alcohol Policy

•Judicial Policy

• ‚Student has right to….‛

Society’s Role

• Sexual Revolution

• Vietnam War

The 1970s

The Student Role

•Protests, demonstrations, & Rally


•Drug Policy – ‚Students URGED‛

•Attendance Policy – ‚Strongly Recommended‛

•Judicial Policy- ‚Student Rights‛ & ‚Due Process‛

Society’s Role

• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA)

• Gradual shift away from ‚in loco parentis‛

•Importance of students having a voice

• Institutional policies have large impact

•Society has an impact on Higher Education

•Looking at society to continue to see shifts-

(Latino population, identity theories)- Possibility for institutions to once again act ‚in loco parentis‛

Looking Ahead: The Student Affairs Profession

QUESTIONS?